


Who Else Would Be My Friend?

by VioletThePorama



Category: Wander Over Yonder (Cartoon)
Genre: Comfort, Fixing the galaxy, Friendship, Gen, Light Angst, Post-Canon, Short & Sweet, Wander is a Star Nomad
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-08
Updated: 2020-03-08
Packaged: 2021-02-28 17:34:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,642
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23061031
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/VioletThePorama/pseuds/VioletThePorama
Summary: After the defeat of Lord Dominator, the galaxy is slowly growing back. Hope is on the rise, but sometimes people still need a little help.aka I obsess over this show long after it's cancellation.
Relationships: Hater & Wander, Lord Hater & Commander Peepers (Wander Over Yonder), Lord Hater & Sylvia Zbornak, Wander & Sylvia Zbornak
Comments: 5
Kudos: 45





	Who Else Would Be My Friend?

After Lord Dominator was defeated, everybody in the galaxy found themselves trying to fix their planets. They were all growing back, sure, but not all of them had been reached yet, and not everybody could identify their planets without their technology or landmarks. Even those who could get back to their homes found themselves centuries behind in progress, needing to aid in their planets reconstruction and rebuild up from the ground with resources they didn’t have. 

It wasn’t long before the suggestion of a widespread meeting was taken up and made a reality. They all gathered at one of the more rebuilt planets at a set time and date, with the intent to figure out a way to restore the galaxy to its former glory. 

Sylvia took her seat, and watched fondly as Wander raced from person to person, greeting them and thanking them for being there. It was taking a while, seeing as almost everybody in the entire galaxy was there, or at least representatives from every corner of it were in attendance. Even people like Emperor Awesome and Lord Hater (and Peepers) were there, with several of the monarchs and leaders hailing the former villain forces as heroes because of their promises to protect rebuilding civilians who were in their empire, and their offered usage of ships and technology. 

Once everybody was finally there, Sylvia got up and pulled Wander back to his seat before turning her attention to the room as a whole. 

And the meeting began. 

______________________________________________

It took an hour of headache-inducing arguing before Wander called for everybody to take a break, suggesting that they ate while they mulled over the offered ideas. This was quickly taken up, as everybody got up to stretch and dispersed over to where food had been dropped off. 

Sylvia sat back, rubbing her shoulder and trying to relax her tense muscles. The meeting was a lot more… stressful than anticipated. She looked over as Wander approached, coming back from where everybody else was gathered. 

“How’re you doing, buddy? Anybody giving you a hard time?”

“Of course not, Syl,” Wander smiled at her. “I was just making sure that all of the kings were getting along.”

Hater made a disgusted noise, which clued Sylvia into the fact that he hadn’t gone to mingle with everybody else. Then she heard a thump, and looked over to see Hater leaning over the table with his face on it. 

Peepers, who had been one of the only ones at the galactic meeting talking any sense (which Sylvia was loathe to admit, seeing as he and Hater still proclaimed themselves as villains), patted his bosses shoulder. “You did wonderfully, sir.”

“He didn’t even say anything,” Sylvia argued. Then she narrowed her eyes. “Why are you guys here, anyway? You didn’t _have_ to come.”

“Now, Sylvia,” Wander admonished. “I’m sure that Peepers and Hater just wanted to help out in cleaning up Lord Dominators mess.”

“Or just wanted to know how to conquer it better,” Sylvia huffed. Peepers froze and she frowned at him. “ _Really_?”

Before the eyeball could answer, Hater groaned again. 

“What's his deal?” Sylvia asked Peepers, changing the topic. 

“Well, sir has been-”

“He looks tired,” Wander finished, and Peepers nodded. Sylvia watched as her friend leaned close to the skeleton. “And you look bored.”

Hater groaned and moved his head so he was scowling murderously at Wander from the table. 

“Are we really that boring?” Wander asked, sounding genuinely curious. 

“Leave me alone,” Hater snapped in response. Wander put his hands on his hips.

“That’s no way to talk to a friend!”

“I'm not your friend!” Hater yelled, sitting up.

“Could’ve fooled me,” Wander grinned, and stepped back, narrowly avoiding a lightning bolt. Sylvia tensed, instinctively ready to grab her friend and run, but Hater didn’t shoot any more electricity, instead sitting back in his chair and crossing his arms petulantly. 

Peepers shot the skeleton a look before turning back to Sylvia. “We’ve been really busy working out treaties between new planets that want to join our empire, and managing restoration troops.”

“Huh,” Sylvia pondered. “I thought you guys were still going with the whole ‘ _bad guy_ ’ thing.”

“We are,” Hater grumbled. 

Peepers shrugged, looking a bit uncomfortable. 

“Well whatever it is, you’re doing a really good job with it,” Wander praised. Hater scoffed and looked away. 

Sylvia caught on to what he was doing. “He’s right, I’ve heard some really-” She searched for a word other than ‘ _good_ ’, “- _cool_ things about you guys. I thought they were just rumors, but-”

“Of course we’re cool!” Hater declared. “I’m the greatest in the galaxy! The duke of destruction! The-”

“Savior of the universe?” Wander suggested, eyebrows wriggling. 

Hater huffed. “So I could conquer it later.”

“So you could conquer us later,” Wander echoed, sounding fond. 

“By the way…” Sylvia began, the topic reminding her of a question she had. She looked at Peepers. “How did you find us at The End of the Galaxy?”

The End of the Galaxy was what people had taken to calling the last planet. Several planets worth of smaller civilizations (in population and actual size) were still in cramped camps as explorers and people with working ships scoured the recovering planets for safe habitats and remaining ruins. 

Peepers glanced back to Hater, and Sylvia’s eyes followed. The skeleton smirked and puffed his chest out, looking the most alive he had the entire meeting. “I used my extensive knowledge of gravitational wells and thermodynamics to see if there were any planets small or large enough for Dominators scanners not to have picked up as a planet in the readings.”

Sylvia opened her mouth to say something like _‘Your what?’_ but nothing came out. To imagine that _Hater_ of all people would have been the one to do that left her stunned. Wander on the other hand, looked unfairly unsurprised and proud. “I’m really glad you did!”

Peepers actually _laughed_ as her expression, or at least chuckled. “Yeah.”

Hater preened and for once, Sylvia couldn’t blame him. That was impressive. 

And yet… “You know all of that and you don’t have any ideas for helping out the galaxy?”

“Of course I have ideas!” Hater stopped and glowered at her, and Peepers frantically waved his hands, trying to cut her off. 

“We would love to hear them Hater, and I bet you could give them when the meeting starts again,” Wander said. 

Hater frowned at him, but didn’t necessarily object, 

Peepers turned, pulling Hater up and out of the seat. Sylvia heard some whispered questions about the legitimacy of said ideas coming from the Watchdog, but she was quickly distracted by something else. 

She turned to look at Wander, who was a little less energetic and a little less meddlesome than he usually was. He noticed the look and waved her off with a reassuring smile, but she didn’t take it at face value. 

“Are you sure you’re doing okay here, Wander?”

“Of course I am. I’m just really… happy for everybody,” He turned and looked at the gathered group. Sylvia let her gaze follow, and watched as everybody milled about, laughing and talking. A few of the villains, along with Hater and Peepers, had apparently been drawn into some sort of contest where they were being cheered on by a crowd gathered near the refreshments. Then she looked back to Wanders wistful expression. 

“Then what’s wrong?” She asked, going with her instincts. “This is what you wanted, isn’t it? For everybody to be working together?”

Why did he look so… _lonely_?

“It’s nothing, I-” Wander paused at her expression, twisted with open concern. So different than the guarded one Sylvia remembered giving him when they first met. 

Wander deflated, and Sylvia stepped close. “I’m… worried,” He finally admitted. 

Oh. “About Dominator?”

“No, I’m just… Everybody is here together, and that’s great! And I know it’s selfish, because we’re all still rebuilding but… Well you know how I helped Jeff see that he could be better, right?”

“Yes…?” Sylvia said, not recognizing why the switch of topics was relevant. 

“It feels like the only time I’m needed in a galaxy is when there’s something to help fix. A villain who needs help, like Major Threat did, or a push like Hater did. But I couldn’t help Lord Dominator. I couldn’t stop her from destroying everything amazing here, and even though it brought everybody together it feels like there isn’t…”

“Like there isn’t anything left?” Sylvia guessed, and Wander nodded, looking downcast.

It… **hurt** . A thousand questions ran through her head, like whether or not Wander would stick around, or if he would go to the next galaxy to find a new problem to help out with, if she was just a replacement for whoever else the social butterfly traveled with, the niggling question that was always in the back of her mind about _just how old Wander was_ , and what she would do without him. 

But she didn't ask any of those. They were things she either didn’t need to know, or didn’t want to address. Instead, she turned to look him in the eyes. “You don’t have to stay, but you don’t have to go, either. Just because we’ve beaten Dominator doesn’t mean that people don’t need you anymore. Look at all the friends we’ve made.”

Sylvia gestured to the crowd. One or two people waved. “And you can stick around without having to be needed. I still like having you around, you know.”

She looked back at him. He was wiping his face and putting his hat back on. Sylvia took his hand. 

“Thanks, Syl,” He murmured. 

“No problem, you wandering weirdo. Besides, who else would help me explore the new planets?”

He laughed, and she pulled Wander onto her back. “Let’s go see if anybody has any new ideas.”

**Author's Note:**

> Hater: My extensive knowledge of gravitational wells and thermodynamics  
> Peepers: His what  
> Me, sobbing: His what


End file.
